Laughter Heals
by Klutz242
Summary: Sirius teaches James a lesson about laughter. NOT SLASH


A/N Ok, so I REALLY shouldn't be doing this when I have about 10 stories I need to update but I can't help it! This is a one-shot in response to _whispered touches_ "Six Billion Secrets Challenge". I'm doing all 22, but this is number 1. "Today, I realized the people that smile and laugh the most are the ones who are suffering the most, Because laughter isn't only the best medicine, it's also the best disguise. I should know, of all people." So on with the story!

"No way!" Peter squeaked in shock.

"Dude, it's true! Sarah Jean is a lesbo! I saw makin out with Jasmine Williams!" Sirius shot back laughing.

"But –but – but, oh man!" Peter whined.

"Well at least you two broke up first Wormtail," Remus reminded him with a chuckle.

"And hear I was thinking that it was Wormtail that turned her to begin with," Sirius stated smirking.

"Can we talk about the beginning of the year prank now before I get sick?" Peter asked looking close to tears.

"Sure mate. Hey Prongs, you got any ideas?" Sirius asked me brightly.

"Umm no sorry mate. I don't know anything," I muttered softly, still in shock.

"You ok James?" Remus asked me worriedly.

I forced a smile, "Don't worry about me Moony! Worry about yourself and that prefect badge of yours after this prank!"

Sirius roared with laughter making me freeze. "That's my man!" He bellowed slapping me on the back.

I still don't know how he does it. How he's still talking, still laughing. And I just can't the picture of him out of my head. He had blood all over him, he was crying, and yet he acts like nothing changed.

"Prongs what do you think? Prongs!" Sirius shouted hitting me in the back of the head making me wince.

"What? Oh, sorry. What do I think about what?" I asked sheepishly. Guess I missed a lot remembering stuff that I really don't want to remember.

"We get the house elves to put a charm or potion in the teacher's food at breakfast making them sing the Hogwarts song! And, they will also be dancing! Isn't that awesome?" Sirius exclaimed smiling widely.

"Yeah, that's definitely going to be a record breaker for the best freaking prank in the world," I agreed while Remus just looked at me worriedly. Sometimes I really wish he wasn't as perceptive as he was.

"But how are we gonna make them do that? What, are we gonna put the imperious on them?" Peter asked wide eyed. Sirius and I both stiffened at the mention of that curse. And I couldn't stop my mind from bringing up that god-awful memory.

_Flashback During Summer_

_The consistent knocking at the door woke me up from a good god damn sleep. I groaned as I looked at the time 3:34. I had slept for a freaking hour and now some moron decided to wake us all up. If it was a prank I was going to strangle the bastard. Suddenly I was worried. What if it was a Death Eater? Or Voldemort himself? We were a pureblood family! It's possible he's after us. And my parents' probably wouldn't even hear them because their room is on the other side of the 6 floor house (not REALLY a mansion, just a super big house). Then I realized how stupid that thought was as the door knocking got louder and louder. No Death Eater or Voldemort would KNOCK, nor would they be able to get pass our wards. So, that meant it was someone I could strangle. So I stomped down the stairs with probably a really pissy face._

"_What?" I snapped as I opened the door harshly. But the minuet I did… I went white._

"_Hey mate, can I come in?" Sirius asked in a chocked voice with silent tears streaming down his face._

_I nodded quickly and gently grabbed the less bloody arm and helped him into the living room so I could sit him on a couch. "Tinky!" I shouted quickly and in less than a second a tired house-elf appeared. "I need you to go get my parents and bring them to living room now! Tell them it's an emergency," I stated rapidly before the house-elf had a chance to say a word. Tinky nodded and disapperated with a snap. "What the hell happened to you?" I asked softly running a finger across a scar on his face._

"_It looks worse than it is James, really. I just… I couldn't stay their anymore, you know? I had to get out and well… Andy's not that good of a healer honestly," Sirius said with a forced laugh at the mention of his cousin._

"_Wait, you're PARENTS' did this?" I asked in shock. I knew they didn't like him all that much but this? Sirius looked like death! And then I realized, he called me James. He hadn't called me James since we were fourth years and had finished turning into animagus'. Never. Not once. Looking back at Sirius, I saw him thinking on what to say to my question. That told me all I needed to know. Before either of us could say anymore, my parents had came down the stairs and I heard my mom gasp in shock._

"_Sirius, what-what happened?" My dad asked gently as he came up to look more closely at his injuries. I knew why they were so shocked, hell I don't think it all had hit me yet! But that wasn't what worried me, what worried me was my mom's face. She looked horrified, and my mom was a healer! She had healed all sorts of people that had all sorts of stuff done to them. I had went to work before and had never seen her cry in front of a patient, no matter how bad they looked, she never cried. And yet here she was, tears flowing down her face as she stared at my best mate. My brother. "Sirius!" I heard my dad ask again._

_Sirius looked at my dad with a sheepish smile. "Would you believe me if I told you I got in a fight?" _

"_No," My dad said with a chuckle. "I'm sorry to say Sirius, but I wouldn't believe that. So how about you tell me the truth hmm?"_

"_I'm getting blood on your couch," Sirius stated calmly as he looked at the blood on his couch. I gaped at Sirius. _

"_You're just claiming it as yours," I tried to joke. Sirius looked at me and smiled as I ran my hand through my hair._

"_And it's not like that's the first thing I've ruined here is it?" Sirius shot back with a small smile._

"_You've never ruined something that couldn't be replaced," I said softly with a watery smile. We both knew exactly what I meant. _

"_Sirius hunny, please tell us what happened?" My mom begged as she walked over with shaking legs to sit next to my dad and me in front of Sirius. _

_Sirius looked away from my parents' before answering. "It was after dinner. Bellatrix, Rodolphus, and Narcissa were up visiting. Narcissa and Regulus were sent upstairs and I was told to stay downstairs. My mom told me what a disappointment I was, nothing out of the ordinary. But then she said I could fix it. She said the Dark Lord would be coming and I could show everyone hoe much my family means to me by joining him." Sirius gave a dark laugh at this. "I told her thanks, but no. I told her I'd rather die. My dad looked at me and says, funny, those are your two choices. I told him to go fuck himself and went upstairs to pack and leave. I was going to go stay at Andromeda's. But the second my back was turned my dear cousin used the cruciatus on me. My parents laughed. Just sat their and laughed. After about five minutes my dad told her to stop. I-I thought he was taking pity on me. Usually he does, you know? But he didn't. He imperiused me. He made me take a knife and cut down my face. I tried to fight! I really tried! But I couldn't. He's-he's a lot stronger than me. But I tried! And then he made me do other stuff. I won't make you listen to details. But then Narcissa and Reg had heard the screaming and came down to see what was going on. Cissa figured out what was going on first and screamed at my dad to stop. Bellatrix told her to shut up. Reg, Reg disarmed my dad and told him he didn't really want to go to Azkaban for killing me right? And my dad laughed. My mom told me I had a minute to grab what I wanted and leave or else she'd kill me, Azkaban or not. I ran and grabbed my bag," Sirius held up the bag he was holding in his bloody hand. "I had already packed the day before. I was running out the door when they shot all sorts of curses at me. That's why I looked so fucked up. And that's why I'm here," Sirius finished._

_None of us could help but gape at him. "I'm going to heal you hunny, and then you don't need to worry. You won't ever be going back their ok?" My mom said softly as she ran her hand through his burnt hair. _

_I don't remember much about the next 30 minutes, all I remember is they were the longest thirty minutes of my life. I've watched Sirius being healed before, but this, this was torture watching. After my mom finished healing him she looked at his hair. "I'm sorry sweetie, but I can't fix your hair. I'm, I'm going to have to cut it ok?" _

_I felt myself freeze as I looked at Sirius. He had never had short hair before. Only the long messy hair that was his pride and joy. Sirius looked my mom straight in the eye. "Cut it," he stated calmly. My mom nodded before taking scissors to his once beautiful hair that was now burnt to a crisp. _

_After that, we all went back to bed. Sirius had his own room in my house but after I snatched it, I just took it to my room. Sirius looked over at me with a small smile. "Thank you," he whispered softly. I just smiled in return. We got into the full sized bed with a chuckle. We hadn't slept in the same bed since he had visited the summer after first year!_

"_Hey James?" Sirius muttered softly._

"_Yeah Sirius?" I asked back just as softly. _

"_Thank you for everything. But I promise I'll be gone by tomorrow," he murmured._

_I had to fight myself not to hit him. Instead I just grumbled, "Don't be daft, I don't mind sharing a bed with you." We both knew that wasn't what he meant, but instead of arguing I saw a real smile light up his face as he curled next to me and let the tears fall. It was the first night, but not the last that I held my best friend as he cried._

Present

"Nah mate," Sirius stated brightly to Peter. "We'll just find something a little more legal."

I couldn't help it. I had to talk to him. "Sirius can I talk to you?" I asked quickly. I saw his eyes narrow, I hadn't called him Sirius since the summer.

"Sure mate. We'll be right back you two. Try not to disgust Remus by your eating habits too much Wormtail," Sirius said clapping Peter on the back before following me out of the Great Hall and into an empty corridor.

"We shouldn't be found here," I muttered to myself running a hand through my hair.

Sirius looked at me worriedly. "Uh mate, I'm kind of like straight, so if this you're trying to make a move on me I'm gonna back away slowly now," Sirius joked as he took a step away from me.

"How do you do it!" I couldn't help but explode. "How do you make jokes, laugh, and how the hell can you act like that when the imperious comes up! How do you stop yourself from crying all the time! Sirius… how can you still… be you?" I asked finishing weakly.

Sirius looked at me with, well, serious eyes. "I have to laugh James," He stated calmly. "And I can't cry again, my eyes have run out of tears. I haven't forgotten any of it, and trust me when I say I'm not over any of it. But… I can't think about it. And when I do think about it I need to make it funny. My mind's kind of like a boggart. The scene replays and replays in my head but with a spell I can turn it into something stupid, something funny. I don't have any other way to survive," Sirius admitted gravely.

I nodded slowly. "I get it, and you're a whole lot stronger than any one else I know."

Sirius just grinned.

"Oh my god! Sirius!" A girl's voice squealed. We turned around and saw Daphne Mitchel, the president of his fan club (and yes, I'm being totally serious). "I looooooove your new hair cut! Why'd you decide to cut it?" Daphne asked brightly.

Sirius simply smiled as h swung an arm around her shoulders. "My mom gave me the idea," he said grinning. And the two of them walked off, but not before Sirius turned and winked at me.

I don't think Sirius realizes how strong he is, or how much of a great guy he is. He went against everything his parents' taught him, which means he pretty much fought against himself.

Today is September 5th 1976, and as I walk back into the Great Hall I feel much smarter than I did when I left it. Because today, I learned that the people that smile and laugh the most are the ones who are suffering the most. Because laughter isn't only the best medicine, it's also the best disguise. I should know of all people, because my best friend is probably the best faker in the world.

THE END

A/N Please please PLEASE review!


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